Your Lent "To Do" List: PRAY - FAST - GIVE

As Jesus often took time to do during his three-year public ministry, we too are called to retreat from our everyday routines. Lent is a time to simplify as we focus on the three pillars: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Following are some simple ways for both you and your family to enrich your Lenten journey.

PRAY “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” — Mt 6:6

Lent should be a time of renewed dedication to a healthy prayer life. Try to increase your prayer in some way. If you rarely pray, start a daily prayer routine. If you already say morning and evening prayers, try to add a weekly rosary. If you already say a daily rosary, add some extra reflection time or spend time in an adoration chapel. Try to choose something that is a challenge but realistic.

IDEAS FOR LENTEN PRAYER: • Pray a daily rosary or decade, with the entire family if possible
• Learn/pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours (a good place to start is with Morning and/or Evening Prayer)
• Attend Stations of the Cross weekly
• Try to attend daily Mass once a week, or even just once during Lent
• Pray during your daily commutes instead of listening to the radio
• Attend Eucharistic adoration more than usual
• Learn a new prayer as a family (The Angelus, Guardian Angel, Prayer to St. Michael and Memorare are good ones)
• Spend time in reflection to examine your conscience each day
• Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
• Read and reflect on a religious book (see list below)

FAST “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” — Mt 6:17-18

It is tradition that we refrain from consuming meat on Fridays during Lent. (For more on this tradition, read this edition’s Dear Father on pg. 8.) Some choose to focus on fasting in addition to this during Lent. Fasting can be refraining from more than just food, however. It can be removing anything from your life and “fasting” from it for 40 days. Whenever it’s challenging to keep your fast you can offer it up in prayer and be united in sacrifice with Jesus.

GIVE “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” — Mt 6:3-4
Lent should also be a time of sacrificing in the form of giving of our treasure. The CRS Rice Bowl can be an easy, convenient way to do this, especially if you can get your children involved. But even if additional monetary giving isn’t possible for you there are many ways to observe the spirit of sacrificial giving during Lent.

IDEAS FOR LENTEN ALMSGIVING: • Only purchase necessities
• Only use cash; place all change in your CRS Rice Bowl
• Have each child donate one toy (or one per week) to a local shelter
• Donate clothes, other household items to a local shelter
• Tithe an additional 5-10 percent
• Donate the money usually spent eating out or on your morning coffee
• Visit a nursing home (and bring your kids!)
• Volunteer (Catholic Charities, soup kitchen, shovel your neighbors walkway, etc.)

GOOD BOOKS TO READ THIS LENT The Imitation of Christ - Thomas à Kempis

Signs of Life - Dr. Scott Hahn

Life of Christ, The Seven Last Words or The Way of the Cross - Ven. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence

Abandonment to Divine Providence - Rev. Jean-Pierre De Caussade

Station to Station: An Ignatian Journey through the Stations of the Cross - Gary Jansen

St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Conversion of Sinners - Susan Tassone

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper - Brant Pitre

Papal Writings on Lent, Easter and Holy Week visit Vatican.va

Ideas for Lent with Small Children

The idea of Lent as a time of sacrifice and reflection can be difficult for small children to understand. But there are plenty of creative ideas to help them stay involved and learn more about this special time in the liturgical calendar.

• Create a Lenten calendar similar to Advent calendars to help count down the days until Easter • Create a crown of thorns and place candles in the shape of a cross in the middle, similar to an Advent wreath

• Cover all crucifixes with purple cloth, to be removed on Easter

• Choose a saint to study during Lent (St. Therese, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Joan of Arc are great ones for children)

• Volunteer as a family to bring up the gifts at Offertory during Mass

• Read age-appropriate Stations of the Cross at home before attending at the parish

• Check out the diocesan Pinterest for a variety of Lenten craft ideas (Pinterest.com/DioKzoo)0

Encounter Lent with Rice Bowl CRS Rice Bowl raises nearly $12 million across more than 14,000 faith communities each year 25% of Rice Bowl donations stay local in our diocese. Last year that money was donated to Maple Valley Community Center of Hope in Nashville, Mich., St. John the Evangelist Parish, Albion, and Christian Service Center at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Niles. These local grants are for hunger alleviation and to support those people experiencing food insecurity. Each year CRS Rice Bowl highlights several of the areas where aid from Rice Bowl donations is used. This year’s featured countries and areas include: Guatemala, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone and Gaza.